We are living in the beginnings of a new Dark Age. Our institutions and ideas are failing. Our economies are being dragged under by debt. The cracks in civilization are beginning to appear. This is not playing to fears, but addressing facts. Now is the time not only to prepare ourselves personally, but also to begin the process of storing the knowledge of our world so that it will survive the coming collapse.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Defense

Defense covers everything from unarmed self-defense to organization and employment of large armies. The expectation is that most violence in a post-collapse world is going to be sporadic, but the threat of it will be ever-present, a state of low-intensity conflict like what American settlers experienced. Ammunition and modern firearms are complex and difficult to manufacture and maintain without access to certain raw materials, much less the larger weapons of war such as jets, tanks, warships and artillery. It can be expected that these will grow increasingly rare and unreliable as priorities shift in the wake of a collapse.

In turn, it seems reasonable that the tools and techniques of defense will change over time, going from modern cased ammunition, reverting back to the use of black powder firearms (which are much easier to manufacture, both the weapons and ammo), and the use of medieval/Renaissance weaponry, which was often brutally effective and more reliable than black powder weapons were for a long period of time. With this in mind, both modern military and classical military topics are covered.

The inclusion of these topics might be seen as controversial by some, as either advocating violence as a positive or the practice of violence being a purpose of the Leibowitz Society. Neither of these assumptions is accurate. The fact remains that part of building a stable society is being able to protect oneself both as an individual and as a community, therefore this information is collected and presented on morally neutral grounds, with neither glorification or avoidance of the topic and is intended to be used responsibly and legally in the absence of direction or support from legitimate authorities. Finally, as always, please consider your local and regional laws before participating in discussions on these topics, or collecting information on them.